Can Your Amazon Fire Stick Connect to a 5GHz Network?

When it comes to streaming entertainment, it’s tough to beat the Fire Stick. Amazon’s class-leading streaming device has been around in some form for nearly seven years, and it continues to be one of the best ways to add some apps to your TV.

Of course, being able to connect to your WiFi network is essential, and if you’re trying to connect your Fire Stick to a 5GHz network, you could run into some issues. Wondering whether it’s even possible to connect your Fire Stick to a 5GHz network? You’ve come to the right guide—and we won’t even make you wait for the answer.

Can Your Amazon Fire Stick Connect to 5GHz?

Yes, your Fire Stick can connect to 5GHz networks. In fact, every Fire TV device from Amazon can connect to 5GHz networks, tracing all the way back to the original Fire TV streaming box released in April 2014. All Fire Sticks from Amazon support dual-band networks, which means you can swap between 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks as you see fit. It really is that simple.

So, regardless of whether or not you’re using the newest Fire Stick 4K, or you’re still rocking an OG model from 2014, you can rest assured your network will work with your unit.

What is the Difference Between 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wireless Networks?

Some of you might not know the difference between a 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless frequency. Here’s a brief explanation before talking about connecting your Fire Stick . The main differences between these frequencies are the coverage and speed.

Also, 5G is a totally different thing; it’s a mobile network technology (this article will stick to 5GHz to avoid confusion).

The 5GHz network has more bandwidth or speed, but less range or coverage. This higher frequency simply can’t go through obstacles, which include solid objects like walls. Another advantage of the 5GHz network is that it experiences less interference with other devices, simply because the 5GHz band has more channels (23) compared to 2.4 GHz band (11).

How to Separate Your 5GHz Network from the 2.4GHz Network

You should start with this solution because it’s the most common troublemaker. Wi-Fi routers allow you to change the name of your Wi-Fi network to your liking. You need to go into admin settings and rename the 2.4GHz network to something different than your 5GHz Wi-Fi network.

The network name is a simplified term for what is actually called a service set identifier, a.k.a. SSID. You need to separate these networks because Fire Stick will often connect to the 2.4GHz network by default.

The methods of changing the SSID vary from router to router. Here’s a general tutorial:

1. You need to enter your router’s IP address into your internet browser’s address bar (it works on all browsers).
2. Then you need to enter the username and password. Usually, you can find the password on the back of your router.
3. Select the settings and find the SSID or Wi-Fi name option. Enter a new name for the 5GHz network. Save the changes and exit the window.

Change the Wi-Fi Channel

Changing the Wi-Fi channel of your 5GHz Wi-Fi is not as easy as changing the channel on your TV. However, it shouldn’t be a problem if you follow the instructions below. You already know that 5GHz networks have more channels than the 2.4 GHz.

For the Fire Stick to work on a 5GHz frequency, you need to change the Wi-Fi channel to channels between 149 to 165, or channels between 36 to 48. This might sound abstract, but it will be much clearer to you when you apply the following steps:

1. Open your web browser of choice (Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, it doesn’t matter) on any device connected to your Wi-Fi network. You can do this from a tablet, smartphone or laptop.
2. Enter this address into the address bar http://192.168.1.1. In case this doesn’t work, you need to access your Fire Stick settings, choose Device, followed by Abou, and finally Network. There you can find the gateway IP address to copy into your browser address bar. Press enter.
3. Now you should land on the admin window where you need to enter the username and password (which you can usually find on your router). You can also call your internet service provider to give you this info.
4. Next, click on Wireless Settings (or any other iteration of Settings). On your 5GHz, channel settings swap the channel to channel 36 and save the change.
5. Wait until your device reconnects to the 5GHz network. Look at the available connections on your Fire Stick. You should see the 5 GHz SSID or Wi-Fi name, and select it.

Fire Stick Won’t Connect to 5GHz Network? Here’s Our Solutions

Sometimes, even when the 5GHz network is visible on your Fire Stick, it still won’t connect to it. There are various reasons why this issue can arise. First of all, try moving your 5GHz router closer to the Fire Stick. Restarting your router is also a great starting point.

Remember when we mentioned obstructions? Anything solid in the way can interfere with the connection. If there are no obstructions, a possible solution can be a quick reboot of all your devices.

Also, make sure that you are using the correct Wi-Fi password. This sounds silly, but many users experienced this issue because of password-related problems. You can even reset your Wi-Fi network password from the admin page on your browser, using the previous steps to get to the page.

Changing your network to an open network might fix any problems too. For a short period, remove the password entirely for your network and see if that resolved the Fire Stick connectivity issues.

If none of that works, try changing the Wi-Fi channel to something other than 36. You can use any number from 36 up to 48 until you connect to 5GHz. Speaking of channels, make sure your Fire Stick remote is working properly by inserting new batteries (this thing won’t work on low battery).

Finally, you can connect your Fire Stick to an entirely different network, e.g. your mobile hotspot. If nothing works, contact your ISP and tell them about your connection issues.

Connection Established

That more-or-less concludes this Fire Stick 5GHz network connection article. Now you know that this connection is available for every Fire Stick out there. If you run into some connection issues, you have plenty of solutions at your disposal.

Do you have any additional questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below.